Established 1866, the Missoula Mercantile—affectionately known as “ The Merc”—was one of Missoula’s first commercial establishments and quickly became its most important. In true mercantile fashion, the variety of merchandise sold there was unmatched. According to a store advertisement, “ Anything could be purchased there, from a side of bacon to a prairie schooner.”

The success of the Merc’s retail formula can be seen in its sales revenue. From 1880 and 1910, its sales grew from $180,000 to $2.6 million and its workforce expanded to 100 employees. It also established several satellite stores around the state and built a warehouse on East Front Street in 1893, just one block east of its flagship store. The Merc had twice expanded the warehouse by 1912, which allowed it to store many of its wares, including dry goods and farm implements.

The warehouse building, which now houses the Trailhead, Dram Shop, and the Pearl Restaurant, includes many architectural details that provide reminders of its storied history. Stacked river cobbles served as building brick and visible brick archways in the basement and on its west façade enabled water from a mill race to pass beneath it. Over time, Montana’s communities grew and specialty stores emerged that cut into the Merc’s earnings, as did direct competition from such merchants as the Allied Stores Corporation. In 1959, the Merc closed for good, reopening as a department store, but leaving its warehouse to be transformed into the historic setting for the shops that occupy it today.

Credits and Sources:

Cohen, Stan. Missoula County Images, volume II. Missoula: Pictorial Histories Publishing Co., 1993.

Koelbel, Lenora. Missoula, The Way It Was: A Portrait of an Early Western Town. Missoula: Gateway Publishing and Printing, 1972.

Mathews, Allan James.  “ A Guide to Historic Missoula,” Montana Mainstreets, vol. 6. Helena: Montana Historical Society, 2003.

National Park Service. “ National Register of Historic Places—Nomination Form, Missoula Mercantile Warehouse.”  2003.

Photographs courtesy of Archives & Special Collections, Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, The University of Montana, Missoula, Montana.